


We Are Ok

by VintaasDez



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bullying, Canonical Character Death, Character Turned Into a Ghost, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, JFK - Freeform, Like, Possession, Soul Bond, because it's Heathers, but just for a little while, it's there, minor JDonica, probably more things that I forgot to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-02-08 02:57:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12855243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintaasDez/pseuds/VintaasDez
Summary: "For fuck's sake, Sawyer! Do something!" Heather yelled again, reaching to grab Veronica's shouldersAnd then the whole world spun around.Veronica blinked as she was pushed out of her body. She stared, in shock as Chandler's spirit took over, looking as stunned as the brunette felt. She awkwardly gave one step, follow by another and another, each more confident than before. "And what makes you think you can say anything?" It was Veronica's voice, it was her body, but everyone flinched at the very familiar confidence emanating from her.





	1. Dead Girl Walking

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know, I just got really pissed at how Veronica didn't say shit to Duke while she was being a bitch to Mc and I thought, "Jesus, if I were Heather I'd be kicking Veronica's ass for her to do something." So this happened... 
> 
> I never really wrote ghost stuff before and I'm pretty much making it up as I go, so be warned; I know not what I'm doing *laughs*
> 
> ChanSaw and McDuke are endgame.

Heather scowled, drano dripping down her lips as she got angrier and angrier by the second. How did that bitch dare to treat Heather like that? Who did she think she was? She could feel Veronica shift at her side, uncomfortable, probably scared at the sight of the ghost's fury. The blonde turned sharply, eyes red as she stared at Veronica, "Do something!" She spat, the blue liquid from her mouth pouring more and more as she motioned to Heather McNamara, scared, shaking and on the verge of tears.

Veronica was wide eyed, stealing glances at JD, and Heather knew she was afraid and useless.

Chandler grit her teeth, "Heather's gonna-"

"Aw, look... Heather's gonna cry!" A stoner girl Heather had never seen in her life laughed, pointing at McNamara, Duke at her side, egging her on.

"For fuck's sake, Sawyer! Do something!" Heather yelled again, reaching to grab Veronica's shoulders

And then the whole world spun around.

Veronica blinked as she was pushed out of her body. She stared, in shock as Chandler's spirit took over, looking as stunned as the brunette felt. She awkwardly gave one step, follow by another and another, each more confident than before. "And what makes you think you can say anything?" It was Veronica's voice, it was her body, but everyone flinched at the very familiar confidence emanating from her.

McNamara and Duke immediately froze as Veronica stepped between them, furious, hand on her hips, "V- Veronica?" McNamara whispered, tears still in her eyes

"Dry those tears, Heather," Chandler spoke, gently placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "And as for you," She turned to Duke, who swallowed, panicked and confused, "Teasing Heather? You of all people, miss Bulimia?" snorted, raising her middle finger up

Duke's cheeks reddened, "I- "

"Shut up, Heather!" Chandler barked, and Duke coiled like a wounded animal, "And give me this back!" Hissed, grabbing her signature red scrunchie back and slipping it effortlessly into her hair, "And the rest of you better leave if you know what's good for you!"

The students quickly scattered, terrified, while Ms. Fleming stared, unsure of what to do. "Veronica! That's no way of-"

"We're leaving." Chandler announced, grabbing McNamara's wrist and dragging her away, Veronica's spirit following them

"What did you do?" Veronica yelled as they stepped into the nearest bathroom, "Get out of my body!"

Heather huffed, turning to the spirit, a clear look of 'as if I knew what the hell is happening' on her face, "Veronica? Thank you!" McNamara hugged her tightly, tears running down her face

"Heather..." Chandler began, rubbing circles on the blonde's back, "It's... Not really Ronnie right now"

McNamara's brown eyes looked up, still gleaming with tears and something else, "... Heather?" she asked in a whisper

Heather smiled, nodding, "You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did you?"

"I... But how? Is it really you?" There was such hope in her voice that warmed Chandler's heart... Or Veronica's, she wasn't really sure anymore

"It's me." Heather assured, "I... I've been watching over you all, and I couldn't let that bitch Heather act like she's the hot shit of the school, much less let her treat you like that, so I... Borrowed... Veronica's body"

"And I'd like it back now, please!" Veronica huffed, grabbing her body's arm

They both felt the world spin again as Heather was sent away and Veronica's spirit returned, "You could've waited a little longer!" Heather scowled

"I'm sorry for wanting to return to my body!" The brunette barked, staring at the ghost

"... Ronnie?" Mc asked, confused

"Yeah, it's me, I'm back," Veronica turned to the blonde

"Heather is...?"

"There," Stated, pointing to where the spirit was floating, annoyed

McNamara blinked, staring at the empty place, "I don't-" she trailed off, watching as Heather Chandler's spirit began to appear, barely visible, drano dripping on her chin, "Heather!"

Chandler's eyes widened, "You can see me?"

The vision became even clearer, "Yes! You're... Spitting drain cleaner?"

The strawberry blonde turned to Veronica, "Well, who's fault is that?"

"Wait... You can actually see Heather now?" Veronica whispered, bewildered. Not that she would say it out loud, but she had been suspecting the whole thing was her guilty consciousness playing tricks on her, that the ghost wasn't real

"Yes, she's dressed on her red robe, floating around, mouth blue," McNamara described her, a smile on her face, "I can't believe it! It's really you!"

"The one and only. Something Heather seems to have forgotten." Chandler scowled, "You shouldn't have let her treat you like that"

Mc immediately flinched, "I..."

"It's ok." Heather's tone softened, "Just... You're as much of a Heather as she is"

Veronica almost snorted, considering how Chandler treated the other two, it was pretty hypocritical of her to be angry at Duke. McNamara smiled, running up to hug the spirit, "Thanks, Heather!"

Both Chandler and Veronica watched in surprise as the blonde succeeded to touch the ghost, hugging her tightly, "Ok, what the hell is going on, here?" the blue dressed girl inquired, confused 


	2. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to go ahead and post this chapter already despite not liking it very much
> 
> How do ghosts even work?

  
Veronica stared in awe as McNamara successfully wrapped her arms around the ghost of her best friend, burying her face on the strawberry blonde's neck. "You still smell like candy!" Mc giggled

Heather snorted, "Of course that's what you'd be worried about, if I still smell like candy"

McNamara quickly pulled back as if she'd been burned, eyes welling up again, "I'm so sorry, Heather!"

"Whoa, calm down," The ghost frowned, "What's your damage?"

"I..." The blonde hiccuped, shaking slightly, "I was so stupid, I fell for how happy you looked with being popular, I didn't see you were in pain," she cried out, "I should've seen it! I should've seen you were in trouble... I failed you, Heather. I'm so sorry!"

Heather blinked, taken aback by the girls words and tears, "Heather... It wasn't your fault, you didn't 'fail' me"

"Yes, it was! That's what friends do: they notice things!" McNamara insisted, hugging Chandler as tightly as she could, "They're there for each other. They see what parents and other people don't... You've always had my back and I didn't have yours."

Heather could feel tears start to roll down her own face, "It... It wasn't your fault. I... I didn't want you or anyone else to see how I really felt... It was like the world itself was a bad dream, Heather." she whispered, trying her best to keep her composure, but she knew Veronica could hear every word and the quivering in her voice in that small bathroom, "I was sad. I was sad all the time and the sadness was so heavy that I didn't think I could get away from it... Not ever."

"But you could have!" Mc cried harder, "If... If Veronica and I knew about it, we could've done something!"

"There... There were days that I thought I was okay, or at least that I was going to be." Heather spoke, voice gentle in a way Veronica had never heard before, "We'd all be hanging out somewhere and everything would just... Fit. And I would think 'it will be okay. Maybe it can just be like this forever'... But nothing can ever stay just how it is forever. Something would always happen and I would always suffocate again."

"I thought about you every day since you died. And Kurt, and Ram." The yellow dressed girl sniffed, "I kept going through every single moment, every thing you all said to me, every sign I missed." Veronica could feel tears trailing down her cheeks, what had she done? To them, to Mc?

"I'm sorry I left without telling you," Chandler rubbed the blonde's back gently, "I wasn't ready. I wanted it so much, but I wasn't ready to tell you."

"Are you ready now?" McNamara asked, voice meek

"Some other time," Heather smiled softly, "We can't stay in this bathroom much longer, someone is bound to walk in and it's not gonna look great if you and Ronnie are crying and talking to the walls"

Mc nodded, wiping her tears, "Then... We should go somewhere else"

"We can go to my house," Veronica spoke up, not daring to look Chandler in the eye, "There's no one there at this hour"

The strawberry blonde gave her a small approving nod before whispering to Mc, "Let's go, Heather"

The ride to the Sawyer's house was quiet. As Veronica drove, McNamara and Chandler sat at the back, holding each other in silence, the brunette had never seen either of them look so intimate with each other. She reminded herself that there was a lot she didn't know about the Heathers. She didn't know how much the 'suicides' had affected McNamara, she didn't know how power hungry Duke **really**  had been...

She didn't know Chandler's feelings.

The guilt grew more and more with each second. What else she didn't know?

-

It felt surreal. Watching Chandler and Mc in her room, whispering words of comfort to one another. She felt like _she_ was the ghost. Like _she_ was the one who shouldn't be there.

"So," Chandler spoke up, finally turning her attention to Veronica, "Apparently I can possess your body if I want to... That might be useful."

"You're not doing that again." Veronica frowned

"You can do it with me, I don't mind," McNamara offered, shrugging

"I don't really know how it works," Heather revealed, "With Ronnie I just... Touched her and that was that"

"Maybe you have to want to possess someone?" Veronica asked, "You were pretty intent on doing something to help Heather, maybe that was the trigger"

Chandler nodded, stepping away from the blonde a bit, "I'll try, ok?"

Mc nodded in consent, preparing herself, "Ok."

The spirit reached out, determined as she tried to grab McNamara in the same way she had done with Veronica. But her hand went directly through the blonde, who shivered with the action, "The hell?" Chandler scowled, trying again and again with no effort, "I can't even touch you anymore?"

As she gave it one more try, her hand finally made contact with her friend's shoulder, but she was still unable to enter her body, "Ok, this time I was thinking that I wanted you to touch me, maybe I need to want you to possess me?" Mc suggested

"Trust me, I didn't want her to possess me at all and it still happened." Veronica shivered

"Maybe you can only possess Ronnie for some reason"

Heather turned around to face the blue dressed girl, "Well, it **would**  make sense, wouldn't it, **Ronnie**?" she asked, the 'since you killed me' went unspoken, but Veronica got it anyway

"Maybe."

McNamara hummed, seemingly deep in thought, "I think I read about this once"

Veronica snorted, "You read about ghost possession?"

"You're not talking about-" Chandler scowled, "No."

"Heather..."

"No. First of all that was just a stupid book. And second of all, we're not talking to that bitch again until she apologises to you on her goddamn knees." The strawberry blonde stated, crossing her arms, drano starting to drip from her mouth

"Duke?" Veronica raised an eyebrow

"On Heather's house library there's a collection of weird occult books that are very old, I read them once, they were pretty scary," Mc explained, "I remember there being one about ghosts"

"We don't even know they're reliable at all." Heather huffed, "They're just old ghost stories"

"Says the ghost! I mean... It's better than nothing," Veronica reasoned, "Do you really want to be trapped in here in ghost form forever and having to figure everything out by chance?"

The spirit flinched, "... No."

"Then we talk to Heather," McNamara beamed, as if she'd already forgotten how her 'friend' had treated her

"We're not talking to Heather." Chandler stated, "The only option I'm willing to accept is us stealing that book."

"Again, says the ghost," Veronica frowned, "If Mc or I are caught we'd be in trouble!"

" **Can** you pick up stuff?" The yellow dressed girl inquired

"Only one way of knowing," Heather smirked, and both Veronica and Mc watched as she disappeared

"Heather?!" McNamara panicked, "Where did she go?"

"She does that sometimes, she always comes back," Veronica assured the blonde

"... Have you been seeing her since she died?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Veronica nodded, "At first I thought I was going crazy... Until you saw her, actually"

"It's... "

"Weird?"

"Good, actually," Smiled, "Seeing her again, talking to her... For the first time since she died I feel like things are halfway normal again"

"She's still dead to everyone else." Veronica looked away guiltily, "... I didn't know you had taken her death that badly"

"She's my best friend," Mc spoke, confused with Veronica's words, "Heather has always been there for me one way or another and I wasn't there for her. Of course I took it badly."

"We couldn't have known."

"We should have."

Veronica stared at the blonde, heart broken, "I just... Thought you weren't that close considering how she would sometimes treat you and Duke"

"Heather isn't always like that," McNamara shook her head, "She can be gentle and warm and supportive, you have to really look for it, but it's there, her kindness. You've seen it before, I know you have," pointed out

She had. As much as she had tried to forget them, there were moments Heather had been a good friend to her, to Mc, even to Duke. But it was a lot easier reminding herself of the bad things, of all the mistakes, things that justified JD killing her.

Not that there was really any justification.

Heather was 17 like the rest of them, she was immature like the rest of them, she made mistakes **like the rest of them**. Before JD, how many people had Veronica helped to bully? Even if she was just following Heather's directions, her hands were just as dirty.

Heather wasn't a demon nor a saint, she was a 17 year old girl. And she would forever be one.

The thought made Veronica feel as if she had taken a sip of drain cleaner herself. They were all damaged, what gave her and JD the right to chose who lived or died?


	3. Unfinished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JFK makes a small appearance because I like cats and if anything can see spirits, it's them.

"Guess who's back, losers?" Heather smirked as she appeared floating just in front of Veronica and Mc, making both girls jump up in surprise

"I told you not to do that," Veronica huffed, startled

"What's the fun of being a spirit if you don't haunt the ass off of your-" She trailed off, eyes falling on Mc, "... Best friends."

"Is that it?" The blonde asked, pointing at the book the ghost was carrying

"I sure hope so, that creepy cat of hers kept hissing at me while I tried to grab it, really freaked me out," Heather shivered, handing Mc the book, "At least JFK is nice." As if to prove her point, the tabby cat mewed, laying down on the floor right below her

"Here it is!" McNamara beamed, pointing at a passage, "When someone dies and has unfinished business, their soul can become attached to said unfinished business or in case of murder, to the person who murdered them." Heather shot Veronica a pointed look while Mc continued to read, "The spirit can sometimes be seen and even touched by people they were close to when alive and who they have a connection with, but only if they are open to the spirit's existence." she smiled, "That's me!"

"Anything about possession or some cool Carrie shit?" Heather asked, looking over the blonde's shoulder

"Possession is rare and can only occur when the spirit and living person have a bond, or if the spirit is going through a moment of pure rage," Quoted, "On such cases..." she trailed off

"What?" Veronica inquired, nervous

Mc took a deep breath, "On such cases, there can be a huge strain on the living person's body and the spirit may start or accelerate the process of becoming an evil entity, making them more powerful and more angry and... Inhuman"

Drano began to pour out of Heather's mouth, "Fantastic. What exactly happens if I become an evil entity?"

McNamara looked up, eyes teary, "You'll lose your memories and become angry and dangerous, you'll only ever remember the bad feelings"

"How can we avoid that?" Veronica asked, "No more possession and...?"

"We have to make sure Heather's happy, strong negative emotions are dangerous," Explained, "She needs to be happy until she can finish what she couldn't and then she'll be able to leave in peace"

"I don't even know what I need to finish," Heather groaned, drano finally stopping to leak out

"You always wanted to get married," Mc suggested

"I'm afraid that's gonna be a little hard considering only you and Ronnie can see me and only you can touch me. And I'm dead." The spirit snorted, "And marriage is pretty much the furthest thing in my mind right now"

"You wanted to get married?" Veronica mumbled, dumbfound

"So?" Heather huffed, crossing her arms defensively

"I just... Didn't expect that," Blinked, "I mean... Maybe world domination?" joked

"That sounds good too," Hummed, "We'll call it plan B"

"Were you in love?" Mc asked, "You once said that you-"

"Heather, I'm dead." The spirit repeated, drano dripping down her mouth, "Look, this isn't getting anywhere, I say that the first order of business is putting Duke on her place again, that's the first step of making me happy."

"We can do that," The yellow dressed girl nodded, "Right, Ronnie?"

"Right." Veronica agreed, "We'll help you move on, Heather"

"I sure hope so, it's kind of the least you can do." Heather stated

Veronica watched as the spirit disappeared once more, it **was**  the least she could do.

-

"Was she really in love?" Veronica asked, parking her car in front of McNamara's house. It was late and the yellow dressed girl had finally decided to go home since her parents would freak out if she didn't, so the brunette drove her, there was still no sign of Chandler.

"I don't know." She whispered, "I mean... Once she was really drunk and she told me she was, and that she couldn't do anything about it, but ever since then whenever I tried to ask..."

"Couldn't do anything about it?" Veronica inquired, raising an eyebrow

"I don't know." Mc repeated, shrugging, "Maybe that's the unfinished business, maybe she regrets dying without confessing, even if she really was going to be rejected"

The brunette stood in silence, staring at the steering wheel of her car. She had robbed Heather of so many things. What if this guy loved her back? What if he could have made her happy? Made her a better person? Now Heather was dead and they would never get that chance. "Can we even do anything? She's dead."

"I was able to see and touch her when I started to believe in it," Mc reasoned, "Maybe if we find out who he was and get him to believe in us, Heather will be able to confess her feelings and move on"

Veronica pondered, it wasn't a bad idea. Convincing someone that ghosts existed and that Heather Chandler's spirit had something to say to them would be hard, but there was hope, and Veronica held onto it. "Yeah... Maybe"

"She always wanted to get married, despite her denial," Mc whispered, "When we were kids she'd always talk about how she wanted to be proposed with a huge romantic gesture"

"Marriage is going to be a little harder to achieve," Veronica sighed, "Even if this guy feels the same way, will he accept getting married with a ghost?"

"Wouldn't you?" The blonde tilted her head, "I mean... If he loves her back, he'll want her to be happy. She might disappear right after they say their vows or she might stick around until he dies, but either way-"

"She's happy."

Mc nodded, a warm smile on her lips, "I would totally smooch a ghost"

Veronica snorted, shaking her head, "You would"

"We can do this, Ronnie," Bumped their shoulders together, "We can help Heather"

"I'll read that book from cover to cover, see if I can find anything else that helps," The blue dressed girl assured her

"I need to get in, but we'll talk more tomorrow," The blonde spoke, opening the car's door, "Thank you for everything, Ronnie"

"It was Heather."

"It was you too." She smiled

Veronica stared at the retreating blonde's back, feeling more ashamed and guilty than she had ever felt in her life. "Planning of killing Heather next? Why are you creeping on her like this?" Heather asked as she materialised next to the brunette

"Where do you go when you do that?" Veronica inquired, turning to the ghost

"Huh, thought I was going to scare you at least a bit," Raised an eyebrow

"I could tell you were about to show up this time," Stated, running her hand on the goosebumps on the back of her neck

"I mostly just float around." Heather shrugged, "It's one of the few good things about being dead. I can show up wherever I want if I concentrate hard enough."

"Does it hurt?"

"Only when the drain cleaner starts to come back up."

"I didn't know. When he gave you the cup." Veronica whispered, "I didn't know it was drano"

"I'm not stupid," Heather snorted, "You didn't want to mess with Dumptruck, I know that Jesse James couldn't be so good in bed that after one fuck you'd be down with murder."

"I-"

"Doesn't change the fact you stood by his side. The psychopath. Who then murdered Kurt and Ram." The ghost stated, drano dripping from her mouth, "You helped him. Even now, you're still in love with him."

"I had just seen you die," Veronica scowled, "I was scared, I... I had to do something so that I wouldn't go to jail over **killing**  my best friend." Heather merely snorted. "And I was angry with Kurt and Ram, and hurt. I thought... I didn't think JD would actually kill them, I believed in him."

"Look where it got you." Heather spoke, motioning to Mc's house, "Heather would have died today if I wasn't there. And who knows what teenage psycho is planning next? I would sleep with my windows boarded shut if I were you."

"I'm done with him." Veronica stated, determined, "I'm going to help you move on, and I'm going to leave JD and soon enough things will be back to normal"

The ghost smiled, shaking her head, "Things will never be normal again, Ronnie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm enjoying writing this more than I thought I would... Turns out ghost stuff is fun. Weird, but fun.


	4. New Powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavily "The Bell Jar" inspired, prompts if you find the passage. 
> 
> Warning; implied sexual abuse.

Heather began to dissipate once more, like she usually did during the night. The ever growing silence sending goosebumps on Veronica's neck again, "Don't leave." She pleaded, trying -and failing- to hold onto the other girl's arm

"You always ask me to leave you so you can sleep," The blonde spoke, watching as Veronica's arm passed right through hers, "What do you want?"

"I don't feel like sleeping tonight, and I could use the company."

"And why exactly should I entertain you?" Heather crossed her arms, annoyed

"I'm not asking for you to 'entertain me', I'm asking for you to stay around while I read more about your... Situation." Veronica asked, fidgeting, " **Please.** "

That seemed to get the blonde's attention, "You're gonna read the book?"

"We have to figure out what to do next, and the only way to do that is by knowing what we're dealing with." Stated, "You don't have to stay, but I'd appreciate if you did. Maybe I'll find out something important that I have to tell you right away"

"Fine." Heather spoke, dropping herself on the passenger seat, "You know what I really miss about being alive? Driving. You suck at it."

"I'm just not fond of tearing other people's lawns," Veronica rolled her eyes, half amused and half annoyed, "... What else do you miss?" she asked, turning the car on

"Drinking." Revealed, smiling to herself, "Funny, isn't it? I always hated alcohol... Then again, compared to drain cleaner..."

"You hated alcohol?" Blinked, confused, "But you-"

"I hated it. I can't tell one drink from another and never managed to get anything I really liked the taste of." Heather shrugged, watching as the trees passed by the window while Veronica drove, "Ram and even the college boys I knew were usually too cheap to buy hard liquor or they thought that drinking anything 'fancy' was something homos did. It's amazing how many college boys don't drink anything other than beer."

"Not really that surprising, it's Ohio after all," Veronica spoke

"Quoting your little boy toy?"

"That's not-"

"The first party I ever went to, I was fourteen." Stated, eyes still on the window, "A guy asked what I wanted, and I didn't really know any drinks, but I didn't want to look like a loser, so I said I'd have a vodka... Seemed safe."

"Fourteen?"

Heather ignored the outburst, "He looked at me closely, he had this creepy ass smile. 'With anything?' he asked, and I said no, with confidence. I thought I might look weak or stupid if I said I'd have it with ice or whatever it is you put on vodka..." Muttered, her voice was monotone, lifeless. Veronica wasn't sure if ghosts could actually be anything but, still, she looked wrong. "I'd seen a guy drink vodka before, so I thought having it plain was all right..." Drano started to drip from the corner of her mouth as she opened a small smile, "Of course, at fourteen, I still hadn't learned that you shouldn't let strange boys get you drinks. That was my first."

"Drink?" Veronica asked, but she already knew the answer

"I hated it. Every second of it." Heather whispered, finally turning her head to the brunette, "My dream was someday..." She trailed off, "... Finding out it could be wonderful."

Veronica didn't have anything to say to that.

-

The book was surprisingly accurate, Veronica realised. It wasn't old, it was downright ancient, with pages that seemed to be ready to disintegrate at any second if she so much as grabbed it too roughly. Between the eerie illustrations and spells or whatever the rhymes were, the text described Heather's situation perfectly. "Where did Duke even find this book?"

Heather groaned, rolling her eyes, "Don't ask her that, she'll tell you this long and annoyingly braggy story about how it was passed down from generation to generation on her family and how rare and valuable it is"

"She's probably right, I've never seen a book so old," Veronica spoke, "And the things written in here..."

"Must be interesting, you've been reading for hours... Anything cool new powers I can do?"

"If you want to become an evil entity, yeah, possessing people and objects, throwing things around the room, there's even a whole chapter about setting things on fire." The brunette snorted

"See? Evil always has more fun," Heather sighed, laying back on the air as if she were on a bed, "Maybe I should just become a full blown evil ghost"

"Don't even joke about that!" Veronica barked, pissed

Heather blinked, staring intensely at the angry girl, as if she'd grew a second head, "That's new"

" **What?** "

"You've got..." The ghost reached out, fingers seemingly touching something only she could catch sight of

Veronica took a deep breath, feeling herself calming down completely out of the blue, "The hell?" she managed out, half dazed

"Are you alright?" Heather frowned, pulling back

"Yeah, I feel **great** ," Nodded, light headed, "What were we talking about?"

"Deja vu... Are you stoned or something?" The blonde snorted, amused

"No, I'm just..." She trailed off, stumbling back onto the bed, "Real sleepy"

"Then sleep, loser," Heather rolled her eyes, floating next to the brunette who already had her eyes closed, "Hey, is this a new power? Can I make you unconscious? Because that's really useful for when you're being annoying"

But Veronica didn't answer, a closer inspection confirmed what Heather suspected, she was fast asleep, snoring softly.

"Jesus, what the hell was that?" The ghost asked herself, confused. "Did I really make this happen?" Realising she wouldn't get any explanations, she sighed, concentrating to pull a blanket over the sleeping brunette, "Well, she can use the sleep." turning around she stared at the book laying on the ground, open, "... And I could use this."


	5. Old Fights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing three fics at the same time (and constantly wasting my time with trash), so that's why the chapter are taking a lil' time, but I'll try to upload sooner

The next morning Veronica awoke feeling better than she had in weeks. Her whole body felt rested, ready for whatever the day would bring her. She rolled off of the bed, grabbing the discarded book that had fell to the ground during her sudden sleepiness the night before, "Heather?" she called out, searching the room for the ghost. The blonde usually didn't come back until it was time for school, she was probably floating around town, Veronica supposed.

Since no answer came, the brunette carefully hid the book in her bag and began to get ready for school. Take down Duke, that was the plan for that day. Veronica had no idea how she, a ghost and Mc could take down the girl who was by all means the new Queen of high school.

Stepping into the shower, she began playing different scenarios in her head. She could try to frame Heather for something, blackmail her into submission like Chandler had done so many times with other people. She could try to talk to Duke, but Veronica doubted that would have any effect. She and Duke got along fairly well, but since her climb to power they had stopped seeing eye to eye on pretty much everything.

She could let JD solve the issue once in for all.

She immediately chastised herself for even thinking about it. JD's solution had proven to be both extremely unfair and noneffective. Then what **could** she do?

As she turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around her, she could feel goosebumps starting all over her body. Shivering slightly, she spoke up, "Heather?"

"You're no fun." The ghost groaned, materialising on Veronica's side, a small pout on her lips

"You're no walk on the park either," Rolled her eyes, "What are you doing here so early?"

"I was thinking about what can we do to teach Heather a lesson," Chandler smirked, teeth blue, "And I've got the perfect idea"

"Fire away," Veronica sighed, crossing her arms

"We tell her about me."

Veronica blinked, unsure if she had heard correctly or not, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You and Mc say how you think you're being haunted by me," Heather explained, smirk widening, "She's the type to believe in this ghost nonsense, she'll definitely become 'open' or whatever it is, and she'll be able to see me and I'll deal with her."

"... When you say 'deal'-" She trailed off as Heather's face began to shift, from her normal looks to a pale, dead version of herself, eyes milky white, drano pouring down her mouth, blood gushing from wounds the glass had made when she fell down on the table. She looked terrifying.

"Cool, right?" Heather asked, "I read about this on the book, shape shifting, I've been practising all night, even got blood to come out... I'm gonna scare that bitch into submission"

"Don't do that! Turn back!" Veronica hissed, grabbing the blonde's shoulders forcefully

Heather immediately shifted back to her normal form, wide eyed, "You're... Touching me"

Just as the words left the ghost's mouth, Veronica's hands phased through her again, losing the grip on the taller girl, "Don't do that again." she whispered, retreating her arms

"Are we not gonna talk about you being able to touch me just now? And why the hell not? That sad little poser deserves it!"

"Because we don't know how this works!" Veronica barked, angry, "For all we know you could be getting more and more corrupted just by messing around with your powers like this"

"Or I could be perfectly normal!" Heather huffed, "You said you wanted to help me, ignoring me all day and stopping me from using my powers is hardly any help!"

"Well, I'm sorry if trying to prevent you from becoming evil and mindless is not your idea of help!"

"You're damn right it's not my idea of help! It's annoying, what gives you the right to bitch about what I do anyway?"

"Sorry for caring!"

"You **killed**  me!" Heather yelled, furious, " **I**  raised you from nothing, **I** taught you everything you needed to survive, **I** took you in and protected you and you chose  **him**! A psychopath dick who you barely knew! A guy who what? **Screwed you once?** " A thunder echoed, followed by the sound of hard rain falling down as the ghost got angrier with every word, "You helped him get away with it, you staged a goddamn suicide - which is fucking **hilarious**  considering you **never**  knew how I felt - and now you act like you ever gave a fuck?" Asked, appearance morphing back to the scary, dead form, "No! I don't buy it for a second! **Fuck you** , Veronica!" she shouted, disappearing from the girl's bathroom

Veronica merely stood, frozen, staring at the empty room with her mouth hanging open.

-

"Hey, Ronnie," Mc smiled as the brunette reached her, soaked from the rain which still was pouring outside, "How are you?"

"... I'm alright," Veronica frowned, she half expected Heather to have told Mc to ignore her or something, "Did... Heather talk to you today?"

"Yeah, I know all about the plan, don't worry," The blonde nodded, "Oh, and here is our chance," she motioned to Duke, who walking straight towards them looking **very**  pissed

"Which one of you was it?" Duke hissed

Both Heather and Veronica blinked, confused, "What?" Veronica asked

"Only Heather and you knew about it, so I suppose either you told Veronica or you took it yourself," The green dressed girl huffed, pointing at McNamara's chest

"Took what?" Mc stepped back, cowering a bit

"The book!" Duke accused, "Don't play dumb, you two left school early and the book coincidentally disappeared?"

"We didn't steal any books," Veronica snorted, doing her best to look truthful, "In fact, after you were a bitch to Heather, we went to my house. We didn't leave until late at night when I took her home."

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" The small brunette asked, narrowing her eyes, "Who else would have broken in my house and stole just the one book?"

"Maybe you misplaced it or something," Veronica shrugged, "Why would we steal a book?"

"It's a rare and valuable book that has been in my family for-"

"The ghost book?" McNamara asked, and to her credit, she sounded completely innocent and clueless, feigning surprise

"Of course!" Duke growled, unconvinced, "Don't play stupid, Heather!"

"I swear we didn't steal it!" Mc spoke, raising her hands up, "But..."

" **But?** " Demanded, hands on her hips

"... Maybe..." Mc lowered her voice, "Veronica and I... Saw something last night"

"Heather, I don't-" Veronica tried

"We... We think we saw _Heather_ ," The blonde revealed in a whisper, "Wandering outside Veronica's yard"

Duke stood, mouth open, "W- What?"

"We think we saw Heather's ghost," Mc repeated, shivering, "It was so creepy, it was there for a second and then it disappeared! It... Looked like it was carrying something, maybe your book?"

Veronica watched as Duke froze, goosebumps forming on the girl's skin, and bit back a smile, "Is... Are you two messing with me?" she asked, visibly scared

Just as McNamara was about to reply, Heather Chandler appeared. In her scary look, walking slowly on the end of the hall. It would almost be frightening if Veronica didn't know Heather's plan. Duke's eyes widened and she let out a little shriek as she pointed to the ghost, looked like Heather's plan had worked, she could see her. "What is it?" Mc asked innocently, pretending she couldn't see the spirit

"There! At the end of the hallway!" Duke mumbled, hands shaking as she pointed to the ghost who turned to look at them, a blue smile on her lips, "Heather! Can't you see her?"

Veronica had to give the spirit points for the show, the slow movements, the bloody trail, the smile full of teeth and malice, it sent shivers down her own spine, "We can see her," the brunette confessed, staring as Chandler disappeared as she phased through a wall

"She didn't move on," Duke shuddered with horror, "She... She didn't move on"

"It's horrible," Mc spoke, "She's stuck here"

"She took my book..." The brunette began to hyperventilate, "She-" Duke trailed off, turning back to Veronica and McNamara, "I... We have to exorcise her."


	6. Red Thing

"... What did you say?" Veronica asked, blinking

"Heather is still around!" Duke barked, panicked, "A ghost, a very real and very pissed off looking ghost which just screams evil entity, I've read the stories, I'm not taking chances."

"You don't know if she's evil!" Mc reasoned, "It... Might just be Heather"

"We need to exorcise her." Duke spoke, ignoring the blonde and heading off on the direction the ghost was, "Come on, she was headed to the gym"

Veronica watched as McNamara followed her, eyebrows furrowed together, "You're not serious about this, are you?"

"Dead serious." The small brunette huffed, "Do you _want_  to be haunted by a ghost? By  **Heather** 's ghost?"

"I don't, actually."

"Then it's settled!" Duke hissed, "Can we please-"

All three girls stopped as JD stepped in front of them, he had a smirk, but his eyes were furious, and Veronica noticed. "The Heathers, together again as if yesterday or the last few weeks hadn't happened." he hummed

"JD-"

"Step away, creep," Duke scrunched her nose in disgust

He nodded, still smiling, "I only want to talk to Veronica, if you two will-"

"Like I care," The green dressed girl huffed, pushing past him and walking away

Mc stared at Veronica, as if waiting for an order or a direction, "Go after her, I need to talk to him"

Nodding, McNamara went after Duke, leaving both JD and Veronica alone, standing glaring at each other. "I thought you were done with them. What are you doing? Helping McNamara yesterday? Walking with Duke today?" the boy frowned

"Heather is my friend, of course I helped her." Veronica stated, although it wasn't exactly the truth. "And we're not 'walking' with Duke, something came up and Mc and I are trying to stop her"

"I could help with that." JD smirked, pulling a gun from his trench coat

"Put that away!" Veronica hissed, forcing his hand down, "What the hell is your damage? Didn't we talk about this?"

"If Heather is your friend how come you're letting Duke live?" He huffed, "She's the bitch that almost made McNamara kill herself"

"She may be a bitch, but that doesn't mean she deserves to die!"

JD snorted, "That's exactly what it means! She'll always be like that, she's just like Chandler was. Maybe even worse. You of all people should be able to see it." stated, gesturing his hand in a way that made the gun point directly at Veronica

Veronica scowled, furious as he lowered it, realising his mistake, "Don't call me. Don't talk to me. It's over." Turned away, ready to follow the path the Heathers had taken

"Come on, come back," JD pleaded, grabbing her wrist, "I love you."

"Over!" She repeated, pulling away, "Goodbye, JD."

With that she left, leaving the boy standing in the middle of the hall, gun still on his hand and an enraged expression on his face.

-

Since Heather's death Veronica had seen all kinds of weird things, the last few weeks had been a whole new level of chaos and stress and sheer freakishness.

But nothing had prepared her for what she walked in as she stepped inside the gym. McNamara was on the ground, skirt torn, unconscious, at least six bags of corn nuts on her hands and on the floor. Chandler's ghost floated in the middle of the room, still on her creepy mode, choking on the drain cleaner as if she was dying again. Duke was directly under her, a big flowery hat that was Ms. Flemming's in her head, a white cloth Veronica was pretty sure used to be Mc's skirt in one of her hands, the other holding a bell she rang in a weird rhythm, yelling things in Korean and moving around in some sort of dance.

"The hell?" She mumbled, not knowing if she should laugh, go away, or help one of the Heathers - she also wasn't sure _which_

"Don't just stand there!" Chandler barked, spitting drano, "Stop her!"

That was her cue. Stepping forward, Veronica grabbed Duke's arm, stopping her from continuing... Whatever it was that she was doing. "Don't listen to her!" Duke growled, fighting back, "We need to-"

"Shut up, Heather!" The spirit yelled, appearance moving back to her normal, "If you don't quit that I'll really become an evil ghost and I swear I'll set you on fire! I read the chapter! Don't test me!"

Duke blinked, mouth hanging open, "You're... Still you?"

"The one and only." Chandler stated as she landed back on the ground, hands on her hips

"But-"

"I was just messing with you, pillowcase." Rolled her eyes, "I didn't think you'd go all 'Korean exorcise' on me!"

"Heather wanted to get revenge on you because of how you acted with Mc," Veronica supplied, "So she stole the book and made us pretend we were being haunted"

"But you **are**  being haunted." Duke spoke, motioning to the ghost

"She deserves it." Chandler snorted, "Believe me."

"You've been trapped here since you killed yourself?" The green dressed girl frowned, "But... This shouldn't happen."

Heather opened up a blue smile, "You know, since we're being truthful and shit, I think Ronnie here should come clean about some things."

Veronica swallowed, panicked, "W- What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the morning I died." The ghost stated, glaring at the brunette, "You were there, who better than you to explain to Heather **why**  I haven't moved on"

"You were there?!" Duke gasped

"Oh, she wasn't the only one," Heather revealed, "Her little boy toy was there too..."

"Alright, that's enough!" Veronica growled, fists clenching, "I... It was me. **I**  killed Heather."

Of all of the reactions Veronica expected from Duke, laughter wasn't one of them. " _You_? You're telling me..." she trailed off, still in a fit of giggles, "You killed Heather? You two are trying to mess with me again, aren't you?"

"Did you have a brain tumour for breakfast, Heather?" Chandler asked, "What do you honestly think it's easier to believe? Veronica and psycho killing me or me killing myself?"

Duke's laughter stopped, her eyes going wide in horror and shock, "Oh, my God! You killed Heather!"

"I didn't mean to!" Veronica exclaimed, flustered, "It was JD! It was just supposed to be a stupid prank and-"

"Wow, after you gave us shit about Martha Dumptruck you go and **kill**  Heather?" The small brunette frowned, seething, "Fucking traitorous double standard bitch!"

"Right?" Chandler shook her head, clearly amused

"Is that your unfinished business? Do you want Veronica and the killer hobo in jail?" Duke asked, turning to her ghost friend, "I can make it happen."

"Not really, I find that annoying Veronica is a lot more satisfying than seeing her being dragged to jail... At least for now." Heather stated, "Besides, she's the only one I can possess, she's useless to me in a cell"

"Yesterday..." Muttered, realisation dawning onto her, "It wasn't Veronica, it was you!"

"Of course it was me." The blonde huffed, "You honestly thought Veronica had any balls?"

"Wait, you can only possess her?" Duke narrowed her eyes, "Who else have you tried it with?"

"Heather," Chandler revealed, "But the best she can do is touch me, something Veronica could only manage once"

Seemingly conflicted, Duke reached out with her hand, waiting for some sort of permission from Chandler. When the spirit gave her a nod, the green dressed girl inched forward, hand coming in contact with the blonde's shoulder as if she were still alive, "I can touch you."

"Heather is less useless than you, Veronica." Heather spoke, turning to a scowling Veronica

"Jesus, Heather! She killed you!" Duke growled, hiding herself behind the spirit, "How come you're so nonchalant about us being with a murderer?!"

The ghost snorted, pointing at Veronica, "Murderer," she pointed at Mc's still unconscious form, "Pushover," pointed at Duke, who flinched, "Traitorous wannabe bitch," pointed at herself, "Soulless snatch. Besides, I don't mind being dead that much, I can't get fat and my hair always looks amazing."

Veronica let out a small laugh at that, "Yes, we're quite the group... How did Mc faint anyway?"

"I tried possessing her again, didn't work," Heather shrugged

"... Heather, can you... See anything strange on Veronica?" Duke inquired, eyes narrowed, "Like-"

"The red thing?"

Duke let out a choking noise, eyes wide, "Wait, what? Holy shit!"

"What? What red thing?" Veronica frowned, confused

The green dressed girl fidgeted, eyes not meeting neither Heather's or Veronica's. "I... It's not important."

"The hell it isn't, you shrieked," Chandler snorted

"We'll talk later. First, what are we all doing? Are we just letting you roam around without moving on?"

"Of course not, don't be stupid," Heather rolled her eyes, "We're trying to figure out  _how_  to get me to move on."

Duke's head turned sharply to Veronica, "I still think exposing her would be the best bet."

"Yeah? Well, Heather thinks that teaching you a lesson is actually job one." Veronica shot back, angry at the accusations

Duke motioned at herself, "Wanted to take over **after**  Heather's death," pointed at Veronica, "Heather's killer. Which one do you think is worse?"

"You humiliated Mc in front of everyone!" Veronica barked

"Oh, don't be a whiny bitch, I was angry! First Heather and then Heather said she also wanted to kill herself?!" Duke shouted, furious, "I couldn't-" she trailed off, blushing slightly, "You killed Heather."

"Huh, you have a red thing too," Chandler spoke up, startling both girls

"What?" Duke mumbled, looking down at her hands

" **What**  red thing?" Veronica demanded, "What does it mean, Duke?"

"Can you see where it ends?" The green dressed girl asked, ignoring Veronica

The ghost stepped forward, seemingly following a trail with her eyes, before stopping at Mc's sleeping form, "Yeah, it ends with Heather"

Duke's eyes widened as she stared at the fallen blonde, muttering gibberish. Veronica narrowed her eyes, realisation finally dawning on her, "A... Red thing that connects Duke and Mc?"

"Yeah," The spirit nodded

"You mean... The thread of fate?"

"You've heard of it?" Duke blinked, surprised

"Thread of fate?" Heather scrunched her nose, "What does that mean?"

"It's a red string that supposedly connects soulmates together," Veronica explained, smirking slightly, "So you're a homo for Mc, huh Duke?" teased

" **What?** " Chandler hissed

Duke flinched at her friend's tone, trembling, "It... You can see people's threads leading to the person they're destined to be with, probably because you're a spirit"

"No. No fucking way." Heather growled, drano dripping down her mouth

"So they're soulmates, what does it matter?" Veronica rolled her eyes, "It has nothing to do with you. And if the stories are true, which they probably are, it's never wrong."

"Oh, it's _wrong_." The ghost barked, "It's something else, has to be!"

"It's a soulbond, Heather," Insisted, "It can't be wrong"

"Yeah?" Heather snorted, grabbing Veronica's hand, "Then why the hell is yours connected to me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have no idea how exorcisms actually work and I would recommend a different approach irl


	7. Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to post this, going through some shit, but here it is :)
> 
> I find it creepy how many people here have performed exorcises *laughs*

Veronica hadn't payed much mind to the person she would marry. She supposed it would be a man, but the thought of marrying a woman never bothered her if she was being honest. She figured it was too soon to think about marriage and long term relationships, they were still high school idiots, what did they know about life and love? Veronica did assume she would only meet her future spouse at Harvard, some smart boy who quoted her favourite books and who was just the right balance between sensitive and tough.

Not in her wildest dreams she would have thought she was actually already destined to someone. Her parents always told her that love was something that took time and effort and there was no such thing as perfect matches, just two people who were willing to make sacrifices and work things out. She wasn't **against**  the idea, just found it terribly fairy taily, that the universe itself would care enough to make someone _perfect_ for her, her soulmate.

And even if that **was**  the case, Heather Chandler would probably be last on the list of people Veronica would point out as potentially her soulmate. Heather was in most senses Veronica's polar opposite. While Heather wanted trouble, Veronica wanted rest. Heather flew high with the eagles, Veronica was the ground. Heather was rough, Veronica was kind. Heather wanted a yes or no, Veronica was a maybe. Heather was all bright and flashy, Veronica was soft and quiet. Heather wanted the world, Veronica was happy with her own corner.

Heather was dead, Veronica had killed her.

So how could they be soulmates?

Veronica stared, dumbfound at the ghost who held her wrist forcefully, nails digging onto her skin. Heather. The demon Queen who was by all means Veronica's worst enemy - and best friend - ... Her soulmate. She wanted to laugh, laugh at how stupid it sounded, how utterly ridiculous the whole situation was. Had she really killed the person she was destined to be with? No. The universe couldn't possibly be that cruel, right?

"What?" Was all she could manage.

"The red line thing. It's connecting you and I." Heather repeated, drano starting to puddle down their feet

"... Soulmates  **can**  be platonic." Duke piped up, trying to calm her friend down, "Doesn't have to mean anything, Heather"

"But she **is**  my soulmate," The ghost snorted, seemingly as stunned as Veronica felt, hand finally letting go, "This is just great."

"It's probably why you can possess her," The green dressed girl speculated, "I'm guessing it's one of the reasons why you're still here and... It must mean you have more powers related to that bond"

"Like making her sleep last night," Heather nodded, fists clenching,"You know what? You two fucking suck as soulmates." Barked, "You make Heather almost kill herself and you!" Turned to Veronica, "You actually killed yours, congratulations."

As the ghost disappeared, Duke eyed the frozen brunette who still seemed to be processing the whole thing. "She's not wrong."

Veronica frowned, "No shit."

"Look, I know this is a little fucked up-"

" **A little fucked up?** " Snorted, letting out a forced laugh, "Fucked up doesn't even **begin**  to describe this situation. I **killed**  people, Heather. I fell in love with a guy that ended up being a psychopath who made me kill _three_  people! And guess what? They didn't even stay dead! Heather stayed here, to haunt me! And why did she? Because apparently she's been my soulmate all along. I **killed**  my soulmate! I killed my **soulmate**! I'm being haunted by my dead soulmate! Whom I killed! So no, things aren't **'a little fucked up'** , they're downright 'fucked sideways with a crowbar' up! 'Fucked roughly with a chainsaw' up!"

"... You killed Kurt and Ram too?"

"Ugh!" Growling, Veronica stormed off, tears brimming on the corner of her eyes. She needed to get away.

-

Veronica usually appreciated the silence. Being alone with her thoughts, her words, and her journal. Silence was soothing. Ever since she met the Heathers and JD, there hadn't been a single true moment of peace and silent and she missed it.

Or she thought she did.

Laying on the grass under a tree next to the lake -the last place anyone would think to look for her- with nothing and no one but herself, she felt the stillness growing bigger and bigger, her eardrums ready to burst with it.

Veronica looked up at the grey sky and her mind drifted to Heather, who undoubtedly was alone sulking somewhere, brain probably as fried as her own. She let out a small laugh, Heather was probably beyond horrified, finding out Veronica of all people was her soulmate. Not that she could blame her, Veronica too wouldn't have pointed herself as the person Heather was destined to be with, she would have bet on a doctor, maybe a politician... Then again, it was Heather. She wouldn't settle down for someone boring. Maybe a famous singer...

Duke was right, though. They were soulmates, but that didn't mean they had to be together like **that** , there were platonic soulmates. Was Heather even interested in women? She snorted at the thought, even if she were, Heather could have any... Well, she couldn't. Not anymore.

Veronica growled, messing her hair with her hands in frustration. Things were so royally fucked up.

And then she felt it, the familiar goosebumps on the back of her neck. She wondered if it was because Heather was a ghost or because she was her soulmate. "Hey, honey." The spirit spoke, sarcasm evident in her voice

"Hey, sweetie," Veronica hummed, watching as the blonde sat down next to her

"Didn't think you were the type to lay down and watch the lake all by yourself like a loser." She trailed off, mockingly pretending to be deep in thought, "Then again, I didn't think you were the type to cover up a murder either"

"Didn't think you were the type to have me as your soulmate."

Heather immediately froze, hands gripping the grass under her. "Shut up."

"Why are you here?" Veronica asked, sighing a bit

"I was floating around. Trying to keep this bullshit from my mind... And it was working quite well, actually, but..." She turned to the brunette, eyes dead, "Then I saw that psycho trench coat killer was here, stalking you." Veronica jumped up, a cold chill running down her spine, "And I figured that I should be more considerate than you and actually help my soulmate not to get murdered."

"He's here?" Hissed, trying to spot the boy in the trees

"He's been watching you for a while, he has his gun, you know?" Heather spoke, motioning to a tree not too far away from them, "Did you piss him off?"

"I broke up with him."

"Told him you met your true soulmate? I feel honoured."

"This is serious!" Veronica growled

"Oh, I know how serious this is, he killed me, remember?" Crossed her arms, "We were doing fine until that creep stepped into our path..." She studied her soulmate's panicked state, "Jesus, calm down, I won't let him hurt you."

"I'm not sure what you think you can do against him," The brunette frowned, "He can't see you."

"He can see you." Heather smirked, grabbing Veronica's arm

And once more the spirit took control over the girl's body, pushing Veronica out. "Heather! What did I tell you about-"

"Just be quiet, I'll walk you home. Keep an eye out for psycho." Stated, making her way through the woods, "If he tries anything, you warn me and I kick his ass."

Veronica snorted, "Yeah, right, because you're such a-"

"I'll kick his ass." Heather repeated, "It's my... I'll kick his ass. The only reason he beat Kurt and Ram up was because he caught them by surprise. I can kick his ass."

"He has a gun." Veronica frowned, "I'm sure you're not worried about it being dead and in **my**  body, but that's-"

"I already told you I won't let him hurt you, God." Hissed, kneeling down next to a pile of leaves as to tie her shoes. "Listen to me for once in your fucking life, Sawyer." And that's when Veronica saw it, a small pistol hidden in the middle of it all. Heather carefully grabbed it and hid it in one of the blazer pockets, trying her best not to seem suspicious, "I borrowed this from your boy toy's motorcycle. He has a gun, so should you."

Veronica looked back, JD hadn't moved from what she could tell, "Are you planning on shooting him?"

"If he's stupid enough to come closer, yes." Heather stated, "I think that if I pulled the trigger on him I would probably instantly move on. Killing the person who killed me..."

"I'm one of the people who killed you."

"You're my soulmate."

Veronica blinked, taken aback by the statement, "... So-"

"Doesn't mean I particularly like you, doesn't mean I want to fuck you or that I forgive you." Heather spoke, getting up and beginning to walk once more, "Just means I don't want that kind of karma. You get to live with the knowledge you killed your soulmate, I don't want to... I don't know, die with that knowledge or whatever."

"... Do you think things would have worked out differently if... If we knew?" Veronica asked, and despite staring at her body, she could swear she saw Heather instead.

"I don't know. You're the one who killed me." The blonde shrugged, "Would it?"

"Would you have accepted it or ran from it?"

"I'm here now, aren't I?"

Veronica didn't know what to say to that. "... It's easy being here now." She finally spoke, crossing her arms, "It's not like you still have to worry about your reputation."

"Do I strike you as someone that weak?" Heather hissed, "I would have protected you, you stupid fuck. You're my soulmate, I-" she trailed off, "It doesn't matter."

"No, tell me. What would you have done if you had fond out I was your soulmate when you were alive?" Veronica demanded, "We've established you don't like me and don't want to fuck me. What then?"

"I don't like you **now**! I... Am sick of having to explain myself to you. I really am." Heather stated as they finally reached Veronica's car. "We're here. Just get back on your body so I can-"

"No."

"No?" The blonde scowled, "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I'm not letting you leave. We're talking about this." Veronica stated, "Come on, you can drive us home."

"Talk about what?"

" **Everything!** " Barked, "I want to know! You were depressed and I didn't know! You were my soulmate and I didn't know! What else didn't I know?"

Heather stayed in silence for a few seconds before finally sighing as she entered the car and turned it on. "I really wanted to kill myself." Revealed, eyes on the road, "I... Remember reading that some old Roman philosopher said he wanted to die by opening his veins in a warm bath. I thought it would be easy, lying in the tub and seeing the redness flow from my wrists till I sank into sleep." She paused, "... But I couldn't do it. The skin from my wrists looked so white and defenseless that I couldn't do it. I realised that what I wanted to kill was somewhere else, deeper, and a whole lot harder to get." Heather opened up a small smile, "What you said in the stupid suicide note? About no one daring to look me in the eye? It was true. Knowing that everyone around me only wanted me for popularity or a fuck - sometimes both - got a little overbearing. Even you. You're supposed to be my soulmate, but you only stayed because no one fucked with you while you were walking with me."

"I didn't like you because the version of you that you showed me and everyone else was... Vain and cruel and... You were a snatch." Veronica defended herself, "I had no idea-"

"Because you never bothered to find out. Did it ever occur to you that I had more in my head than shoulder pads and makeup aside from when you were trying to frame me for suicide?" Accused, hands gripping tightly around the steering wheel. "Of course not. You immediately assumed I was just a mythic bitch or whatever it is people called me."

"... I'm here now."

"It's easy being here now." 


	8. Lost And Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, sorry for taking so long, but here it is :)

"Can you go back to your body now?" Heather asked as they finally reached the Sawyer house, turning sharply to Veronica, an annoyed look in her face

Hesitantly, the brunette complied, putting her hand on her body and immediately regaining control of it as Heather was pushed out. "Happy?"

"Oh, yeah, this has been the highlight of my after-life." The spirit rolled her eyes, pissed

"Look, the only way you'll move on is if we find out what's still trapping you here." Veronica stated, "And for that to happen you have to be honest about your feelings, Heather"

"You want honesty?"

"Yes."

"I was tired, and suicidal, but there were things I wanted to do. Things I was looking forward to." Heather revealed, drano dripping down her mouth, "But I can't do them anymore, can I? I'm fucking dead. The only thing I want now is to move on and leave all this shit behind me, but I can't!"

"Tell me what they were," Veronica spoke softly, putting her hand on top of the ghost's, "Tell me the things you wanted to do, I'll find a way for you to do them"

Heather stared at their hands, "... How?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I will."

"I'd... Like to eat corn nuts again, for one," The blonde stated, eyes landing on Veronica's determined face

"That's an easy fix, there's some inside, you can just possess me and eat them," Smiled reassuringly. She wasn't particularly fond of them, but since Heather liked them so much, she always made sure to keep a bag or two in her house, just in case.

"You grab them and head up to your room, I'll be waiting." Heather said as she disappeared, leaving the brunette alone again

Veronica clenched her now free hand, she'd help Heather. She'd help her soulmate. She'd be there for her.

-

"Oh, God, they taste even better than I remembered," Heather moaned, grabbing another handful of corn nuts and stuffing them into her mouth

"You're gonna choke." Veronica snorted, amused as the usually poised girl wolfed down the package, "Slow down"

"Shut up. Where's your diary?" The blonde inquired, finally putting the - now empty - bag of corn nuts down

"What?"

"Your diary. That's number two on my list, I've always wanted to read that thing, you were always writing and writing like you were running out of time or something," Heather stated, looking around the other girl's room, "Where is it?"

Veronica's cheeks reddened, "I-"

"You said you would make sure I got what I wanted." The spirit accused, crossing her arms

"Ugh, fine, it's... On my bag."

Heather walked up to it, grabbing the small journal and flipping through the pages unceremoniously, "I wonder what kind of shit you wrote about me"

"I didn't-"

"Oh, 'Heather Chandler, the almighty'," Heather snorted, "I actually like that. Should've put that on my epitaph... Is there anything on my epitaph? I should check it out one of these days"

"That's from before I met you," Veronica explained, floating next to her possessed self

"Where's the first one?" The blonde inquired, going back a few pages

"The first one?"

"The first thing you've ever wrote about me." Heather stated, "I want to know what it was"

"It was dumb, I-" Tried

"Oh, here it is, first day of freshman year, the day I transferred," Mused, eyes scanning the page with interest. Veronica remembered it as if it were yesterday, the first time she ever saw and wrote about Heather Chandler. She had been grabbing books from her locker when her eyes fell on McNamara and Duke walking together with a girl she had never seen before. Heather. Her heart had immediately skipped a beat when the blonde turned to her, greys eyes, blonde hair cascading down, red lips with a malicious smirk that made Veronica's brain short circuit. She wondered if Heather actually remembered it too. "What the hell?" The ghost huffed, staring intently at the page

Veronica knew the reason. There was only a single word she had been able to write that day. "Red." she spoke, knowing well that ironically, it was the colour of her face at the moment

"What was your damage?" Heather asked, turning to the floating spirit

"I... It was the only thing in my head the whole day," The brunette explained, "It was the first time I've ever seen... All that red"

Realisation dawned upon Chandler, making her open up a smirk identical to the one she had all those years ago, "I made such an impression on you?"

"I think you made an impression on everyone," Veronica mumbled

Heather hummed, putting the diary down, "Obviously."

"What was the first thing you ever thought about when you saw me?" Veronica inquired, "You smirked at me"

"I thought your hair was a mess," Snorted, offering her hand to the spirit

"Figures," Rolled her eyes, grabbing her arm and pushing Heather out of her body

"But I still thought you were beautiful. Or at least that you could be." The ghost revealed, floating away from the human

"You did?"

"Yeah."

Veronica blushed, now that she knew she and Heather were soulmates, everything felt so awkward. "Well-"

"Even before we met I knew who you were, you always got ridiculously good grades and I knew you had some bravery in you, I remember watching you standing up for Dumptruck more than once. I thought it would be nice, having someone who I could actually match wits with, someone who I could talk to. I knew what you could become." Heather spoke, "Sometimes I thought about it, just coming up to you and offering you a makeover, offering to be your friend"

"Why didn't you?" Veronica muttered, dumbfound

"Like you would've believed it wasn't some prank." Snickered

"I wish I could go back."

"... So do I."

-

"You're finally awake," Duke breathed out in relief as Mc shot up, looking around confused

The blonde rubbed her eyes, realising she wasn't in the gym anymore. "Heather? What happened? Where am I?"

"Well, things escalated pretty quickly and both Heather and Veronica left," Explained, watching as the cheerleader glanced around her surroundings, "You're in my Jeep, I had some guys from the football team help me carry you"

"Is Heather-"

"She's still here, I didn't exorcise her," Duke spoke, handing Mc a bottle of water, "Here, drink something"

Mc smiled, accepting the bottle, "Thanks, Heather"

The brunette felt her heart break a little, she had missed Heather's smile, "I... Can drive you home if you want to," offered, remembering her words at the assembly

"That would be great, I'm so freaking tired of the bus," Mc nodded, straightening herself up. She paused, watching Duke start the Jeep, "Actually... Do you mind dropping me off at Ronnie's?"

"Are you having trouble with-"

"No, I just want to make sure she and Heather are ok," The blonde shook her head, "... Make sure Heather's still here"

"Don't trust me?" Duke opened up a wan smile

"No! It's just..." Trailed off, "I want to make sure I didn't lose Heather again... And I don't want to lose you either." Mc reached out, grabbing Duke's hand, "... What you did to me sucked, but... I don't want us to fight or be mean to each other anymore, I don't..."

"You're not losing me, Heather."

"I was." The cheerleader stated, "I lost you for a while there.You weren't you. You were someone else, someone mean."

"Heather always-"

"Heather never would've done that to you. She made fun of us and occasionally acted like a bitch, but she had our back, she had /your/ back." Mc accused, "You know that."

Duke swallowed, "... I'm sorry."

"Let's just go, I... Don't want to talk about this anymore." The blonde whispered, letting go of her friend's hand and looking away at the car window

They kept an awkward silence throughout the ride, McNamara seemingly unwilling to speak while Duke just couldn't muster the courage or a topic. As she finally pulled over in front of the Sawyer's house, she stared at the window to Veronica's room. Not knowing if she should go as well, if she'd even be welcome. Her attention was turned to Mc, "We're here."

The cheerleader hummed, opening the door and jumping out of the vehicle, "Are you coming?" asked, eyes landing on Duke

"... Yeah."

-

"No, stupid, you're not doing it right!" Heather barked, making both Mc and Duke exchange startled looks

They had stopped just outside the door of Veronica's room and were listening as Heather clearly fought with the girl over something, "But Heather, I don't-"

"Just look at my ass. See this? This is what you want to be doing." Duke let out a small snort while Mc's frown deepened, "You slept with psycho, didn't you? You should know what to do with those hips."

"Uh... Veronica?" McNamara asked timidly as she knocked on the girl's door, instantly making the noise in the room quiet down

The door swung open, revealing Heather, floating slightly, "Heather and Heather, quelle surprise"

"Heather!" The sunny blonde smiled, hugging the ghost tightly, "You **are**  ok!"

"You didn't think Heather would actually have managed to exorcise me, did you? Pillowcase." Chandler snorted, feet landing back on the ground, "It's good to see you took care of her this time." she spoke icily, staring at Duke from over Mc's shoulder

The green dressed girl looked away guiltily, "What were you two doing?" Mc asked, pulling away from the strawberry blonde, "Something about Ronnie's hips?"

"Well, Veronica said she would help me with the whole moving on thing," Heather shrugged while the brunette blushed a bit, "I can't really move on before I teach her how to dance properly."

Mc chuckled, shaking her head, "Veronica isn't **that**  bad!"

"Yes, she is." Duke snorted

"Shut up, Heather!" Chandler barked

"Sorry, Heather!"

Veronica smiled a bit at the scene in front of her and for a second she almost forgot the whole situation. Almost. "So..." she began, drawing the attention of the Heathers, "... Did you fill Mc in? About our... Situation?"

"Oh." Duke blinked, taken aback. Right. Murder, soulmates, more murder... Jason Dean and Veronica. "No, I... Didn't."

"Basically, Veronica's old fuck buddy has gone psycho and wants to kill her." Chandler stated as McNamara blinked, confused, "Oh, and Sawyer and I are soulmates."

"... _WHAT?!_ "


	9. Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than the others, sorry!

"While Veronica fills Heather in our new soul bond..." Chandler began, motioning to the door, "Why don't you come with me for a bit, Heather?"

Duke swallowed, "S- Sure"

"Alright, so... Apparently Heather can see things now-" Veronica's started, voice muffling as both Heathers stepped out of the room, door closing behind them

"I'm going to be very clear about this." The ghost stated, eyes turning red as she glared at the small brunette, "Heather can never know Veronica killed me, do you understand?"

"What?" Duke frowned

"Heather can never know Dean and Veronica killed me." Chandler repeated, "You know perfectly well **why**."

Duke did know why. Mc trusted Veronica, she was probably the only one the sunny blonde still did. She wouldn't be angry like Duke, she would be extremely hurt. "... So what? We're still gonna act like you killed yourself?"

"Not everything was a lie." Heather revealed, and the brunette's frown deepened, "Just don't fucking tell her anything about Veronica and psycho, got it?"

"... Yeah. Yeah, I won't."

"Good, that wasn't so fucking hard, was it?" Huffed, turning back to Veronica's room

"Wait!" Duke called out, grabbing Heather's wrist, "Can... Could you also not tell her about... Me being her soulmate?"

Chandler raised an eyebrow, but didn't voice her inquiries, something for which Duke was thankful for. "Alright."

"- And apparently she can see a red thread of fate which connects both Chandler and I," Veronica finished as both Heathers walked back in the room

"That's so romantic!" The sunny blonde squealed, clearly happy with the whole situation, "Maybe you should try to kiss Heather! That might allow her to move on! True's love kiss!"

Both Veronica and Heather exchanged disgusted looks, "I'm not kissing someone who's drooling drain cleaner."

"Well, good, because I'm not kissing a fucking nerd like you."

"And who said anything about true love?!" Both girls exclaimed at the same time, faces red

"Isn't that what soulmates are?" McNamara asked, confused

"Soulmates can be platonic," Duke spoke awkwardly

"Aw, really?" The cheerleader faltered, "That's disappointing... So what **are**  soulmates?"

"Well-" Heather trailed off, "... Veronica?"

"Uh..." The brunette blinked, "... Duke?"

Rolling her eyes, the green dressed Heather spoke up, "Soulmates are people who are always meant to be together, born from a single original soul. They're pushed together by this force, no matter what, they always find each other again."

"See? It's romantic!" McNamara giggled

"It's not necessarily romantic. They just share a special bond, they understand each other better, they feel unusually comfortable with each other-"

"I don't think this red thing is right," Chandler stated, raising her hand up to examine the thread, "Understand and being comfortable with each other? Special bond? Those so don't go with Veronica and I."

"What are you talking about? Heather and I have been your best friends for years and you were a lot closer to Veronica, who you've known for such a little time!" McNamara insisted, "It all makes sense now!"

Once again, both girls exchanged looks, "I think the whole failed possession thing may have given you a brain tumour, Heather." The ghost finally spoke, scrunching her nose

"Whatever, you two are **soulmates** ~" The blonde smirked, amused

"God, shut up, Heather!" Chandler scowled, cheeks red

"Does that mean you can see who are other people's soulmates too?" Mc asked, hopeful

"Not really." Lied. "And I couldn't always see it either, one night it was just there," Shrugged

"It's likely that as you spend more time here, you'll develop more powers, especially things related to Veronica," Duke piped in, "... I don't know what it'll be or how they'll affect you, spirits aren't supposed to be in this realm"

"Well, unfortunately I am." Heather crossed her arms, legs leaving the floor as she began to float once more

"Right, and we should get back to reversing that." Veronica nodded, "What's next on your list, Heather?"

The strawberry blonde seemed to ponder for a bit before opening up a smirk, "I just had the best idea."

-

"Does anybody else in here feels like this is a horrible idea?" Duke shivered as she parked her jeep

"This is a terrible idea." Mc nodded, looking worriedly through the window of the car, "What if we're caught?"

"Please, we're not gonna get caught." Heather Chandler stated, body phasing through the vehicle and into the cold outside

"Again, you have nothing to worry about, you're a ghost." Veronica scowled, "The rest of us will be in trouble if we're seen!"

"Jesus, I already told you pussies that we aren't getting caught." The blonde scoffed, "Heather and Heather stay here as lookout and Veronica and I can take a little peek inside the creep's room. He'll never know."

The four girls were currently parked a few blocks from JD's house, the ghost wanting to check the boy's room for herself, "Why don't you go alone if all you want to do is take a peek? I'm sure you could've come here and gone away in no time at all." Veronica accused, sensing that Heather was hiding something

"I need an extra pair of hands to help me TP the place." Chandler smirked, "It'd take forever otherwise "

"You can't be serious." The brunette frowned

"Why not? It's not like he'll suspect us, he'll just think it was one of the dickheads back in school," Shrugged

"Oh, I'm in for that," Duke nodded, "Prick deserves it."

"Damn straight." Heather nodded, "Now come on, Veronica. You said-"

Growling, the brunette stepped out of the car, "Fine!"

"Thank fuck!" The ghost beamed, body beginning to disappear, "I'll see you in there"

Sighing, Veronica turned to the two girls in the car, "If JD or his dad show up, drive down the street honking the horn"

"You got it!" McNamara smiled

"You run over there, to the other side, I'll make turn on the next street and pick you up," Duke instructed

"Alright." Nodded, "Wish me luck."

-

"He has a hamster? That's not edgy. I expected some sort of lizard or maybe a snake," Heather spoke as she floated over the hamster cage, staring at the sleeping animal, "What is it's name?"

"How should I know?" Veronica rolled her eyes

"I know your cat's name." The spirit stated

Raising an eyebrow, the brunette asked, "So?"

"Nothing." Veronica stared at Heather as the blonde finally set her feet on the floor, leaning slightly to look at the other contents on the table. She was almost used to seeing the girl on those clothes. Almost. Heather inched closer, her robe sliding upwards and making Veronica's cheeks redden. "Hey, do you-" The ghost trailed off as she turned her head before bursting into laughter

"What?" The shorter girl defensively inquired, face reddening even more

"You were checking out my ass!" Heather accused her, a smug smile on her lips

"Was not!" Spluttered

"It's alright," Waved her off, "I have a great ass." And with that the girl turned away again, checking the nearest bookcase

"You're unbelievable."

"What? I personally have nothing against homos." Chandler shrugged, "You're not the first girl to check me out, although unfortunately you're probably the last."

"Shut up, I was just thinking how it is weird that you're wearing that all the time," Veronica huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, "That's all."

"Ugh, I know! There has to be a way for me to change clothes," Heather spoke, staring down at herself, "I look amazing, but I don't want to spent eternity on my sleepwear..." she trailed off, heading towards the nearest mirror, "Do you think the shape shifting thing would work? I only tried it with how I look, but maybe if I focus on my clothes..."

"What did we talk about you messing around with your powers?"

"I think we established that we don't know how it works." Stated, "Want me to move on? Let me fucking put on some acceptable clothes."

Sighing, Veronica sat down on JD's bed, watching as the ghost stared at herself in the mirror intently. "Why does it matter? The Heathers and I are the only ones who are going to see you anyway"

"So? I don't give a fuck, I'm doing this for me. I like to look nice." Heather spoke, "Wait... Something's happening"

"Are you ok?" Veronica jumped up, panicked as the spirit's form began to dissipate, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know! I'm not the one doing it!" Yelled, shaking, "I don't know what's happening!"

"Heather!" The brunette yelled, reaching out to grabbing the girl's arm

Chandler opened her mouth one last time, as if to say something before disappearing completely. Veronica blinked, dumbfound before a loud horn echoed outside as Duke's car sped through the street, bringing her back to reality. Someone had arrived. Cursing, she climbed off of the window, quickly getting down as she heard the garage door open, that had to be JD's dad. Running through the backyard and the neighbour house, she crossed the street, heart thumping in her chest as she heard the familiar horn of Duke's jeep as it parked right in front of her. "Get in!" Duke yelled

Veronica didn't need to be told twice, quickly jumping in the vehicle. "Where's Heather?" McNamara asked, looking back at Veronica

"I... Don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? She disappeared on you again?" Duke inquired, eyes on the rear view mirror

"... I think Heather's gone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Veronica is relatable *laughs*


	10. Only Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lack of Heather Chandler in this chapter literally hurts me

"What do you mean she's gone?" Duke asked, parking the car

"... Where are we?" Veronica frowned, looking around

"Not important. Where the fuck did Heather go?" The green dressed girl repeated, turning towards Veronica

"I don't know. She was... Trying to shape shift, change her clothes, then all of a sudden she began to disappear, but it was different than usual, I could tell it wasn't because she wanted to." The brunette paused, looking down, "She was scared, and I couldn't... I don't know what happened."

There was a small silence before McNamara broke into tears, face hidden in her hands, "Heather..." Duke tried, placing a comforting hand on the girl's back

"So she's gone? For good this time?" The blonde asked between hiccups

"Maybe not, I mean, we don't know how this works," Duke rubbing circles on McNamara's back, "Maybe... Maybe she just messed up while thinking about changing clothes and is stuck in some store or her own closet. You remember that thing, you need a map to walk around it"

Mc let our a small, broken laugh, before throwing herself on the brunette in a tight hug. Veronica looked away from them, eyes landing on the window. Now that she really looked at it, she recognised the place, it was Duke's house. She knew the girl was wrong, Heather would have come back already if she had simply shown up someplace else.

And there was the feeling.

Veronica still had goosebumps all over her body, this feeling of emptiness in the pit of her stomach. It was as if for the first time she was truly aware that Heather Chandler was dead, and this time she could be gone. For good.

"-ica! Veronica!" Duke's annoyed voice shook her out of her daydream, " _Sawyer!_ "

"What?" She replied, still mildly zoned out

"I asked if you want to stay here or if we can crash at your house." Repeated, "You know, so when Heather shows up we're all together"

"Here." Veronica quickly spoke, "JD doesn't know where you live"

Nodding, the brunette opened the door of the jeep, "Come on, Heather, we'll order thai and wait for Heather"

The blonde sniffed, but complied, finally letting go of Duke and stepping out of the car

Veronica didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise.

-

As Veronica had expected, Heather didn't show up that night or any of the following ones. It had already been a week since the incident in JD's room and no sign of the strawberry blonde. McNamara and Duke seemed to finally have accepted the fact the ghost might not return, as for the first time since that night, they didn't invite Veronica to their houses.

The brunette stared as a teary eyed McNamara closed her locker and made her way into a classroom, Duke right beside her.

She should've done something. She should've convinced Heather to stop messing around with her powers. Instead Veronica had let the ghost disappear and had broken Mc's heart all over again.

Slamming her own locker shut, she made her way to Chandler's. Duke and Mc hadn't finished cleaning it, and pictures and books still filled most of the space. Veronica longingly stared at the photo booth picture of both her and Heather, as she grabbed it, her eyes fell on her own sloppy handwriting at the back of the photo. 'Best friends forever'.

"Decided to burn her stuff too?" JD asked, smirking as he leaned against the locker next to Veronica

She immediately frowned, "I'm not in the mood." Huffed, closing the metal door and walking away from the trench coated boy, photo still in her hand

"Come on, hasn't this blown over yet?" He asked, following her closely, "Just admit that I'm right, Veronica"

"Right?" She stopped, furious, "Right about what exactly?"

"That Heather and Kurt and Ram deserved to die, that my way works!" JD spoke, grinning maniacally

"They didn't deserve to die!" Veronica growled, seething, "And I've already told you to stay the hell away from me!"

"You're making a mistake." Warned, grabbing her arm forcefully

"No. I already made the mistake, and that was listening to you." She stated, pulling away, "I'm trying to make this right."

" **Psycho.** " Duke called out as she reached them, eyeing JD distastefully, "Don't you have anywhere better to be?"

Shooting Duke an angry glare, the boy walked away.

"Jesus, shouldn't you be fucking avoiding him?" The green dressed girl asked, turning to Veronica

"Believe me, I'm trying to," Sighed

"... Heather is inconsolable." Duke spoke, hands clasped together, "Still no sign of Heather?"

"... None."

"Fuck." Cursed, leaning against the closest locker. There were small, almost imperceptible, dark rings around her eyes from the sleepless nights where she'd stay up with Veronica waiting for Heather. "... Do you think she's gone for good? Like, moved on?"

"I don't know," Veronica shrugged, eyes on the floor, "Yeah. I think so."

"Do you feel anything? You know, like-"

"Like 'my soulmate is dead'?" The taller brunette asked, scoffing

"Well, yeah." Duke frowned, "You should feel different"

"Well, there's this horrible feeling on my stomach, does that count?" Veronica sneered

Duke paused, lowering her eyes, "... I've been reading the books."

"And?"

"... I think there's something." She spoke carefully, "That could bring Heather back"

Veronica's mouth hanged open, "Then what are we waiting for?"

"We'd be messing with some dark stuff, Veronica." Shot the brunette a pointed look, "And wasn't Heather moving on the whole point? If we... We could fail, what we bring back may not be her anymore. And even if we succeed, and what we bring back is one hundred percent her, which is already a big if... We might get her stuck here for good."

Veronica blinked, words slowly sinking in. "... What did Mc say?"

"I haven't told her yet... I'm not sure she'd understand it, she might get too hung up on the possibility of seeing Heather again and decide to do something we'll all regret." Duke sighed, "She's not stupid, though... It's only a matter of time before she suggests we search something in the books."

"Do you think you can lend the rest of the books to me?" Veronica inquired, "If they're with me, she's not gonna bother you about it, and if it comes to it, I can tell her I didn't find anything."

The smaller girl seemed to ponder it for a minute before reluctantly nodding, "Fine, but be careful with them, will you?"

"Of course."

"After school, while Heather is at practice, I'll come by your place and leave the books." Duke stated, "Meanwhile, just try to avoid psycho, please."

\--

"Veronica, Heather stopped by a while ago," Mrs. Sawyer spoke, knocking softly on the door to her daughter's bedroom, "She left you some books for your school project?"

"Right." The brunette sighed, opening the door

"What kind of project is it?" Inquired, eyeing the old books with distaste

"History." Lied, taking the box from her mother's hands

"Well, here they are," The older woman smiled, "Work hard and I'll make your favourite for dinner"

"How very," Veronica smiled back, though it did not reach her eyes.

As her mother finally left, the blue dressed girl began to look through the books in search of the one Duke had mentioned. She flipped the pages unceremoniously until she got to the ritual.

Duke was right. They shouldn't bring Heather back. Veronica knew it, but still... Her eyes desperately read all the steps, memorising every single necessary thing she would need to bring the strawberry blonde back.

It was stupid. It wasn't like they were going to do it. To do the ritual she would need to bond Heather to someone, a living being, who would volunteer for that? And there were no guarantees that after being brought back, the ghost would be able to move on. Moving on was the whole point of it, was it not? Veronica had wanted to make things right with Heather, and although it hadn't been exactly as she wanted it, she had helped her move on, that should've been enough.

It wasn't.

She wanted to see Heather again. Hell, she would be happy enough just to hear the blonde yelling at her again over something petty and stupid. She shouldn't miss her, Heather was dead, had been for a while. And even when she was alive, it wasn't as if Veronica got along that well with her, more often then not they were arguing about something.

She was Veronica's soulmate.

So what? What did it all even mean? Duke was McNamara's soulmate, it didn't stop her from being a bitch to the sunny blonde, didn't stop either of them from being with other people. Chandler was a better friend to McNamara than Duke, and that said a lot.

It wasn't as if she and Heather could ever like each other in that sense anyway.

Even if they did, Heather was dead.

Tears brimmed in the corner of Veronica's eyes. Heather was dead. Heather had been dead for a while. The real Heather Chandler, flesh and blood was buried, body decomposing more and more with every day. Heather was dead. Heather was dead and there was nothing she, Duke, Mc or the whole damn collection of ancient occult books could do about it. Veronica would never see her again, those grey eyes had been closed forever.

_Forever._

Spending the rest of her life without Heather, without her soulmate - whatever **that** meant -, or forever with a probably very angry spirit stuck to her. Did she want that? Would she take responsibility if it came down to it?  What would Heather even say if she was brought back only to find out it was yet again Veronica's fault?

Wiping her tears away in frustration, she dropped the books back into the box before opening her window, she didn't have those answers yet, but she had a place to go.

**Author's Note:**

> Will be updated randomly because I lost control of my life a long time ago.


End file.
